In this guide10 sections
It’s a boy, and you want to celebrate with the people who love you. Baby blue is the first thing that comes to mind, but a baby boy shower can be much more than that: a theme with personality, a palette that doesn’t look like every other party, a pretty table that doesn’t blow the budget, and games that are fun even for guests who don’t know anyone. Here are ideas for each part, plus how to handle the invitation and the gifts at the end.
Before you decorate: when and who
Two decisions shape everything else:
- The date. Most showers happen in the third trimester, when mom-to-be still feels comfortable and there’s time to sort the gifts before the baby arrives. Don’t leave it for the very last weeks: babies don’t always stick to the due date.
- The guest list. Close friends and family only, or a co-ed shower with dad and his friends? A co-ed party calls for more active games, heartier food and an afternoon time slot that can run a little long.
Also decide who’s hosting. It can be a friend, a sister or the parents themselves; what matters is that one person keeps the guest list and tracks the RSVPs.
Baby boy shower themes
Classics that always work
- Little sailor. Anchors, paper boats, blue and white stripes. A line like “a little sailor is coming ashore” takes care of the invitation.
- Little pilot. Paper planes hanging from the ceiling, cardboard clouds and maps. Pair it with “our little pilot is about to land.”
- Safari. Stuffed animals, big leaves and sandy tones. Easy to pull together with things guests already have at home.
- Teddy bears. Sweet and simple; it works just as well in blue as in brown and cream.
Less expected
- Stars and moon. Midnight blue with gold accents, perfect if the party runs into the evening.
- Woodland. Foxes, mushrooms, pine cones and wood: warm, and a natural fit for greens and browns.
- Dinosaurs. Playful, and any kids who come will love it.
- Little adventurer. Maps, vintage suitcases and a globe, ideal if the parents love to travel.
- Soccer. “A new player is joining the team,” with the family’s favorite club jersey.
- Andean-inspired. Woven blankets, llamas and bright colors on an off-white base, for a table with a Peruvian touch.
Color palettes beyond baby blue
Pick two main colors and one accent, and use them everywhere: balloons, tablecloth, cake and invitation.
| Palette | Colors | Goes with |
|---|---|---|
| Sage and cream | Sage green, cream and light wood | Woodland, safari |
| Midnight and gold | Navy, gold and white | Stars and moon |
| Terracotta and sand | Terracotta, beige and mustard | Safari, little adventurer |
| Dusty blue | Grayish blue, pearl gray and white | Teddy bears, little pilot |
| Navy and red | Navy, red and white | Little sailor, soccer |
| Olive and mustard | Olive green, mustard and cream | Dinosaurs |
If a girl is on the way instead, the same logic applies with palettes that aren’t only pink.
Decorations on a budget
The rule that saves the most is to focus your decorations on one spot: the main table, which doubles as your photo backdrop. The rest of the room only needs a few touches that repeat the colors.
- A balloon garland in your palette. With a hand pump and balloon tape, you can put it together yourself the day before.
- Paper and cardstock. Bunting, clouds, hanging stars or paper planes. They’re cheap, fun to make as a group and look great in photos.
- A clothesline of baby clothes, with onesies and socks held by little wooden pins. It decorates now and gets worn later.
- A diaper cake as a centerpiece: eye-catching and useful in those first days.
- Seasonal flowers and plants in reused glass jars.
- The baby’s name in big letters, if you’ve picked one.
- Borrow before you buy: tablecloths, trays, cake stands and vases.
- Print at home: the welcome sign, food labels and game cards.
What to serve
A shower is about snacking and chatting, so think finger food people can eat standing up.
- Savory: mini sandwiches, empanadas, skewers, and Peruvian favorites like causitas (bite-size layered potato) and tequeños (fried cheese sticks).
- Sweet: cupcakes or cookies decorated in your palette, alfajores, truffles and a themed cake.
- Drinks: lemonade, chicha morada (a purple corn drink), infused water or alcohol-free cocktails, so mom-to-be can toast with the same drink as everyone else.
Ask the mom-to-be what she’s craving and whether her doctor has told her to avoid anything, like raw fish, and build the menu around that. Label every dish: it helps guests with dietary restrictions and doubles as decoration.
Baby boy shower games
Three or four games are plenty. Mix an icebreaker, a table game and something more active.
- Guess the bump. Each guest cuts a piece of yarn to the length they think will go around the belly. Closest guess wins.
- Who’s that baby? Ask guests to send you a baby photo of themselves ahead of time and have everyone guess who’s who.
- Gift bingo. Guests fill their cards with the gifts they think will be opened, then mark them off as the parents unwrap.
- Blindfolded diaper change. Use a doll. At a co-ed shower, let the dads compete.
- Guess the baby food. Unlabeled jars to taste and identify.
- Predictions and advice. Cards to guess the birth date, weight and who the baby will look like, plus a piece of advice for the parents. Keep them: they make a lovely keepsake.
Prizes can be simple: candles, small plants or treats wrapped in the party colors. If you want more to choose from, there’s a long list of baby shower games, including the ones that work at a co-ed shower and the ones that work over video call.
The gift registry
A registry keeps you from ending up with ten newborn onesies and no stroller. Three ways to make it work:
- Ask for several sizes, not just newborn.
- Split the big gifts, like the crib or the stroller, so several guests can share them.
- Mix price points, so every guest finds something that fits their budget.
If you’re not sure where to start, our guide on what to ask for at a baby shower organizes it all by the moments of the baby’s day.
The invitation and timeline
Send the invitation three to four weeks ahead and include the parents’ names, date, time, place, the theme if you’d like guests to wear a certain color, the gift registry and an RSVP deadline. Send a reminder a few days before.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6 to 8 weeks before | Date, venue, guest list and theme |
| 4 weeks before | Invitation and gift registry |
| 2 weeks before | Decorations, menu and games |
| 1 week before | Close RSVPs and do the shopping |
| The day before | Set up the decorations and prep whatever food you can |
Relatives who can’t travel join by video for the middle stretch of the afternoon, the way a virtual baby shower is run. And if the news is still a secret, the gender reveal can happen at the same party, saved for the best moment of the afternoon, after the food and the games.
Common questions from whoever’s hosting
Do you have to pick a theme?
No. A theme only exists to make the decisions faster: once you know it’s “little sailor,” the color, the cake and the line on the invitation choose themselves. Without one, two colors and a single element that repeats — a balloon, a leaf, a cardstock star — across the table, the cake and the photo corner do the same job. What reads in photos is the repetition, not the theme.
Do you throw a shower for a second baby?
Yes, if the parents want one. What changes is the registry: the big things — crib, stroller, bathtub — are already in the house, so the list fills up with what gets used up (diapers, wipes, creams) and clothes in the sizes the first child outgrew. Keep it shorter and smaller, and give the older sibling a job of their own: opening the gifts or blowing out a candle.
Do the gifts have to be opened in front of everyone?
No, and it’s worth asking the mom-to-be first. Opening them live works when there are few gifts and someone is writing down who brought what; with a long guest list it drags and half the room starts chatting. The alternative is to open them later, as a family, and keep just a thank-you moment at the party. The one thing you can’t skip is the record of who gave what.
What do I do with the kids who come along with their parents?
Give them their own spot and one adult in charge. A low table with paper, crayons and stickers keeps them busy for a good while, and if there’s a yard, balls or bubbles. Give them a job at the party too — handing out game cards, counting the votes — so they don’t feel like spare parts. And say on the invitation whether children are welcome: that’s the line that stops more people arriving than you planned for.
Invitation and registry on one link
With parati for baby showers you create the invitation and the gift registry on the same link and share it on WhatsApp. Your guests RSVP and give gifts from their phone, by card or Yape, without creating an account. The crib or the stroller can be split into parts so several guests can share them, and if you’d rather pool everything toward something big, like the nursery, El Sueño (The Dream) gathers contributions toward one goal, with a minimum contribution you set. You also see who confirmed and who gave what, so you can thank each guest.
